Entry Test. PhD

Adventure Travel _____ 50 people in its New York branch.

Business _____ – things couldn’t be any better!

Our plane _____ – it’s now due to land at 5.30 p.m.

_____ the brochures out yesterday? If not, you’ll have to do it now as they must go today.

We’ve been stranded here _____ Monday because floods closed the airport.

By the time we closed yesterday we _____ over 600 bed-nights as a result of the promotion.

The delay to the building works _____ a problem at the start of the tourist season next week.

We look _____ hearing from you when you have decided which holiday you wish to book.

Could you ___ this form___ please, and hand it in at reception?

You _____ show your passport at the border between England and Wales.

Do you think I _____ take cash or a credit card on holiday with me?

Some guests _____ always be late, so it’s a good idea to give a slightly earlier departure time.

Could all guests please meet at 2.30 p.m. in _____ hotel car park where our coach will be waiting.

We’re going to _____ Australia next year – I’m hoping to see a kangaroo!

___ you ___ on a world cruise if you could afford it?

If I _____ you, I’d visit the Prado when you’re in Madrid – it’s one of the world’s greatest art museums.

We’ve postponed _____ the caves until tomorrow, when we’ll have more time.

Don’t forget _____ the contract before you leave – I’d like to send it back to the lawyer today.

The brochures _____ this morning – can you wait in the office until they arrive?

Lunch _____ in the dining room from 12.00 to 2.00 p.m., so there’s time for a walk this morning.

Stonehenge _____ to have been built around 5,000 years ago.

Most people feel rather         (nerve) when they go for an interview for a new job. This is not surprising as getting a job one wants is important. People being interviewed expect the interviewers to be           (object), matching an applicant against a job             (describe). However, what often happens in reality is that the interviewers make           (decide) that are little more than reactions to the             (person) of the applicant.

Even skilled interviewers may, without realising it,               (conscious) favour people who make them feel at      (easy). With this in mind, if you go for an interview you should try to make a good impression from the start by presenting the interviewers with the very best vesion of yourself, emphasising the         (various) of skills you have. You must appear very positive and as              (enthusiasm) as possible. It is for you to convince the interviewers that you are definetely the most suitable person for the job

Vocabulary: Complete the sentences with at, on, in or - (nothing):

1. The first interview is    [on, at, in] 17th December.

2. When he travels all day, he can't sleep    [on, at, in] nihgt.

3. Susan sometimes works    [on, at, in] Saturdays.

4. Do you often go out    [on, at, in] the evenings?

5. Our flight arrives    [on, at, in] 8.30 a.m.

6. Can I see you    [at, in, -] next Monday?

7. There's a stuff party    [at, in, -] every March.

8. Hurry up! The shop closes    [at, in, -] 10 minutes!

9. He travelled to China    [at, in, -] 1999.

10. I'm sorry. Mr Moor's busy    [at, in, -] the moment

Read the text and choose the correct option

If we look around us at the things we have purchased at some point in our lives, we would no doubt notice that not everything we own is being put to good use: the thick woollen coat which we thought looked trendy despite the fact that we live in a tropical country, the smartphone that got put away when we bought ourselves the newest model, the car that only gets used at the weekends, or even the guest room in our house that somehow got turned into a storeroom.

Those underutilised items may seem useless to some, but could be an asset to others. With the advent of the internet, online communities have figured out a way to generate profit from the sharing of those underused assets. Using websites and social media groups that facilitate the buying and selling of second-hand goods, it is now easier than ever for peer-to-peer sharing activities to take place. And this is known as the sharing economy.

These democratised online platforms are providing a chance for people to make a quick buck or two. To give an example, busy parents previously might not have bothered with setting up a stall at the local market or car boot sale to sell their children's old equipment, but with online marketplaces, parents are now able to sell on those hardly worn baby clothes that their children have outgrown and the expensive pushchairs and baby equipment they have invested in, so as to put some cash back into their pockets.

Businesses have also caught on to the profitability of the sharing economy and are seeking to gain from making use of those underutilised resources. A business model that has rapidly risen in popularity sees companies providing an online platform that puts customers in contact with those who can provide a particular product or service. Companies like Airbnb act as a middleman for people to cash in on their unused rooms and houses and let them out as lucrative accommodation. Another example is Uber, which encourages people to use their own personal cars as taxis to make some extra cash in their free time.

This move towards a sharing economy is not without criticisms. Unlike businesses, unregulated individuals do not have to follow certain regulations and this can lead to poorer and inconsistent quality of goods and services and a higher risk of fraud. Nevertheless, in the consumerist society we live in today, the increased opportunities to sell on our unwanted and underused goods can lead to a lesser impact on our environment.

1. The sharing economy does not involve …

                                            [people selling their used things to othe, people offering their services to others, businesses selling their goods to people, businesses acting as a middleman for peo]

2. People can now sell things more easily because …

                                            [people nowadays buy more things., businesses want to buy the things they d, there are now more market stalls and car, there are now online platforms where the]

3. Parents might want to sell their baby clothes and baby equipment because …

                                            [they want to make back some of the money, they don’t like the baby items they have, the baby clothes and equipment are old a, they need the money for other investment]

4. Which of these is something that the author says we might underutilise?

                                            [A thick coat in a cold country, The latest smartphone, Clothes our babies don't or can't wear a, The storeroom in our house]

5. It might be a problem for unregulated individuals to sell to others because …

                                            [they have to follow certain regulations., what they sell might be of a lower quali, they don't have a business licence., they like to criticise their buyers.]

6. What might be a good title for this article?

                                   [The consumerist society, Parents who need money, The rise of the sharing economy, Why we buy things we don't need]